mirror of
https://github.com/bec-project/bec_widgets.git
synced 2025-12-29 10:21:18 +01:00
201 lines
8.9 KiB
Markdown
201 lines
8.9 KiB
Markdown
|
||
|
||
# BEC Widgets
|
||
|
||
[](https://github.com/bec-project/bec_widgets/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
|
||
[](https://pypi.org/project/bec-widgets/)
|
||
[](./LICENSE)
|
||
[](https://github.com/psf/black)
|
||
[](https://www.python.org)
|
||
[](https://doc.qt.io/qtforpython/)
|
||
[](https://conventionalcommits.org)
|
||
[](https://codecov.io/gh/bec-project/bec_widgets)
|
||
|
||
A modular PySide6(Qt6) toolkit for [BEC (Beamline Experiment Control)](https://github.com/bec-project/bec). Create
|
||
high-performance, dockable GUIs to move devices, run scans, and stream live or disk data—powered by Redis and a modular
|
||
plugin system.
|
||
|
||
## Highlights
|
||
|
||
- **No-code first** — For ~90% of day-to-day workflows, you can compose, operate, and save workspaces **without writing
|
||
a single line of code**. Just launch, drag widgets, and do your experiment.
|
||
- **Flexible layout composition** — Build complex experiment GUIs in seconds with the `BECDockArea`: drag‑dock, tab,
|
||
split, and export profiles/workspaces for reuse.
|
||
- **CLI / scripting** — Control your beamline experiment from the command line a robust RPC layer using
|
||
`BECIPythonClient`.
|
||
- **Designer integration** — Use Qt Designer plugins to drop BEC widgets next to any Qt control, then launch the `.ui`
|
||
with the custom BEC loader for a zero‑glue workflow.
|
||
- **Operational integration** — Widgets stay in sync with your running BEC/Redis as the single source of truth:
|
||
Subscribe to events from BEC and create dynamically updating UIs. BECWidgets also grants you easy access the
|
||
acquisition history.
|
||
- **Extensible by design** — Build new widgets with minimal boilerplate using `BECWidget` and `BECDispatcher` for BEC data and
|
||
messaging. Use the generator command to scaffold RPC interfaces and Designer plugin stubs; beamline plugins can extend
|
||
or override behavior as needed.
|
||
|
||
## Table of Contents
|
||
|
||
- [Installation](#installation)
|
||
- [Features](#features)
|
||
- [1. Dock area interface: build GUIs in seconds](#1-dock-area-interface-build-guis-in-seconds)
|
||
- [2. Qt Designer plugins + BEC Launcher (no glue)](#2-qt-designer-plugins--bec-launcher-no-glue)
|
||
- [3. Robust RPC from CLI & remote scripting](#3-robust-rpc-from-cli--remote-scripting)
|
||
- [4. Rapid development (extensible by design)](#4-rapid-development-extensible-by-design)
|
||
- [Widget Library](#widget-library)
|
||
- [Documentation](#documentation)
|
||
- [License](#license)
|
||
|
||
## Installation
|
||
|
||
Use any of the following setups:
|
||
|
||
### Stable release
|
||
|
||
Use the package manager [pip](https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/) to install BEC Widgets:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
pip install bec_widgets
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
### From source (recommended for development)
|
||
|
||
For development purposes, you can clone the repository and install the package locally in editable mode:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
git clone https://github.com/bec-project/bec_widgets.git
|
||
cd bec_widgets
|
||
pip install -e .[dev]
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
## Features
|
||
|
||
### 1. Dock area interface: build GUIs in seconds
|
||
|
||
The fastest way to explore BEC Widgets. Launch the BEC IPython client with simply `bec` in terminal and the **BECDockArea** opens as the default UI:
|
||
drag widgets, dock/tab/split panes, and explore. Everything is live—widgets auto-connect to BEC/Redis, so you can
|
||
operate immediately and refine later with RPC or Designer if needed.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
### 2. Qt Designer plugins + BEC Launcher (no glue)
|
||
|
||
All BEC Widgets ship as **Qt Designer plugins** with our custom Qt Designer launchable by `bec-designer`. Design your UI
|
||
visually in Designer, save a `.ui`, then launch it with
|
||
the **BEC Launcher**—no glue code. Widgets auto‑connect to BEC/Redis on startup, so your UI is operational immediately.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
### 3. Robust RPC from CLI & remote scripting
|
||
|
||
Operate and automate BEC Widgets directly from the `BECIPythonClient`. Create or attach to GUIs, address any sub-widget
|
||
via a simple hierarchical API with tab-completion, and script event-driven behavior that reacts to BEC (scan lifecycle,
|
||
active devices, topics)—so your UI can be heavily automated.
|
||
|
||
- Create & control GUIs: launch, load profiles, open/close panels, tweak properties—all from the shell.
|
||
- Hierarchical addressing: navigate widgets and sub-widgets with discoverable paths and tab-completion.
|
||
- Event scripting: subscribe to BEC events (e.g., scan start/finish, device readiness, topic updates) and trigger
|
||
actions,switch profiles, open diagnostic views, or start specific scans.
|
||
- Remote & headless: run automation on analysis nodes or from notebooks without a local GUI process.
|
||
- Plays with no-code: Use the Dock Area / BEC Designer to set up the layout and add automation with RPC when needed.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
### 4. Rapid development (extensible by design)
|
||
|
||
Build new widgets fast: Inherit from `BECWidget`, list your RPC methods in `USER_ACCESS`, and use `bec_dispatcher` to
|
||
bind endpoints. Then run `bw-generate-cli --target <your-plugin-repo>`. This generates the RPC CLI bindings and a Qt
|
||
Designer plugin that are immediately usable with your BEC setup. Widgets
|
||
come online with live BEC/Redis wiring out of the box. 
|
||
|
||
<details>
|
||
<summary> View code: Example Widget </summary>
|
||
|
||
```python
|
||
from typing import Literal
|
||
|
||
from qtpy.QtWidgets import QWidget, QLabel, QPushButton, QHBoxLayout, QVBoxLayout, QApplication
|
||
from qtpy.QtCore import Slot
|
||
|
||
from bec_lib.endpoints import MessageEndpoints
|
||
from bec_widgets import BECWidget, SafeSlot
|
||
|
||
|
||
class SimpleMotorWidget(BECWidget, QWidget):
|
||
USER_ACCESS = ["move"]
|
||
|
||
def __init__(self, parent=None, motor_name="samx", step=5.0, **kwargs):
|
||
super().__init__(parent=parent, **kwargs)
|
||
self.motor_name = motor_name
|
||
self.step = float(step)
|
||
|
||
self.get_bec_shortcuts()
|
||
|
||
self.value_label = QLabel(f"{self.motor_name}: —")
|
||
self.btn_left = QPushButton("◀︎ -5")
|
||
self.btn_right = QPushButton("+5 ▶︎")
|
||
|
||
row = QHBoxLayout()
|
||
row.addWidget(self.btn_left)
|
||
row.addWidget(self.btn_right)
|
||
|
||
col = QVBoxLayout(self)
|
||
col.addWidget(self.value_label)
|
||
col.addLayout(row)
|
||
|
||
self.btn_left.clicked.connect(lambda: self.move("left", self.step))
|
||
self.btn_right.clicked.connect(lambda: self.move("right", self.step))
|
||
|
||
self.bec_dispatcher.connect_slot(self.on_readback, MessageEndpoints.device_readback(self.motor_name))
|
||
|
||
@SafeSlot(dict, dict)
|
||
def on_readback(self, data: dict, meta: dict):
|
||
current_value = data.get("signals").get(self.motor_name).get('value')
|
||
self.value_label.setText(f"{self.motor_name}: {current_value:.3f}")
|
||
|
||
@Slot(str, float)
|
||
def move(self, direction: Literal["left", "right"] = "left", step: float = 5.0):
|
||
if direction == "left":
|
||
self.dev[self.motor_name].move(-step, relative=True)
|
||
else:
|
||
self.dev[self.motor_name].move(step, relative=True)
|
||
|
||
|
||
if __name__ == "__main__":
|
||
import sys
|
||
|
||
app = QApplication(sys.argv)
|
||
w = SimpleMotorWidget(motor_name="samx", step=5.0)
|
||
w.setWindowTitle("MotorJogWidget")
|
||
w.resize(280, 90)
|
||
w.show()
|
||
sys.exit(app.exec_())
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
</details>
|
||
|
||
## Widget Library
|
||
|
||
A large and growing catalog—plug, configure, run:
|
||
|
||
### Plotting
|
||
|
||
Waveform, MultiWaveform, and Image/Heatmap widgets deliver responsive plots with crosshairs and ROIs for live and
|
||
history data.
|
||
|
||
<img width="1108" height="838" alt="plotting_hr" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/f50462a5-178d-44d4-aee5-d378c74b107b" />
|
||
|
||
### Scan orchestration and motion control.
|
||
|
||
Start and stop scans, track progress, reuse parameter presets, and browse history from a focused control surface.
|
||
Positioner boxes and tweak controls handle precise moves, homing, and calibration for day‑to‑day alignment.
|
||
|
||
<img width="1496" height="1388" alt="control" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d4fb2e2e-04f9-4621-8087-790680797620" />
|
||
|
||
## Documentation
|
||
|
||
Documentation of BEC Widgets can be found [here](https://bec-widgets.readthedocs.io/en/latest/). The documentation of
|
||
the BEC can be found [here](https://bec.readthedocs.io/en/latest/).
|
||
|
||
## License
|
||
|
||
[BSD-3-Clause](https://choosealicense.com/licenses/bsd-3-clause/)
|